Marketers & agency execs need training in 5 areas now
Great marketing efforts are a business multiplier. Unfortunately, many marketers and agency execs are not prepared properly for the task of delivering marketing efforts that outperform the competition and drive brand success. They lack some of the basic skills needed to get every ounce of impact from the investments they are leading. Training budgets have […]
How agencies should talk about the money
Most agency executives and teams hate talking about money with clients and prospects. And they don’t do a very good job of it. Agencies often seem to approach the topic of money as a required nuisance or as an afterthought. The agency’s economic proposal may be a simple spreadsheet. Or a spreadsheet embedded in a […]
You Get the Agency You Deserve: Every marketer should read Jared Belsky’s new book
Some marketers get absolutely amazing support from their agencies! Brilliant strategies and amazing service. Work that builds the brand, moves customers to action and builds business. Great, self-sustaining relationships. Unfortunately, this isn’t the experience of all marketers. Many marketers often get less than they want from their agencies. Fewer great ideas, strategies that aren’t really […]
Enhancing your next agency review process: 21 pitfalls marketers can readily dodge
Your brand is in search of a new agency. You’ve initiated a review that you are overseeing personally and it’s proving to be considerably more challenging and time intensive than you initially anticipated. Heck, you already had a full-time job before adding this important added effort. And, while progressing your way through the project (researching […]
Tips for Marketers & Agencies: Mastering the Pitch Q&A
An agency review is underway, and it is now time for a Q&A session for the agency with the prospect’s marketers. This is an important moment for both parties! The client gets to see how the agency team handles themselves and has a chance to hear the quality of the questions asked by the agency. […]
Tombras, Figliulo, Goodby & other agency stars on What Matters to Agency Prospects
By Steve Boehler with input from an all-star team of agency execs Ever wonder what is on prospects’ minds? This is a question we often hear from agencies of all sizes. Over the years we have enjoyed countless discussions with agency leaders on this specific topic. What matters to the senior executives that rely on […]
Understanding the Agency Buyer Journey to Win More Business
A few years ago we noticed a serious gap in the approaches agencies were taking to guide their business development plans and activities: there was no documented knowledge base regarding the buyer journey for agency services. Significant attention had been paid to the study of customer journeys across a myriad of categories and industries. Much […]
Marketer & Agency Exec’s guide to the agency visit
You’re considering an agency for a key assignment. You may be well into a competitive agency review or simply are exploring agencies for near term or future efforts. You’ve done your homework. You’ve found an agency that looks promising! But any agency decision is an important decision. You’ve decided to visit the agency (good idea!) […]
Edelman’s 2023 Brand Trust Report: What brands and agencies need to know
The folks at Edelman recently released their latest Trust Barometer research. The report is a must read for business leaders, marketers and agency execs everywhere. The Edelman team has studied trust for nearly 25 years and the annual Edelman Trust Barometer research is a cornerstone to that work. In our current highly polarized and rapidly changing […]
Former P&G CEO John Pepper on leadership, business immersion and the “Air” movie
A discussion: Steve Boehler with John Pepper Former P&G CEO John Pepper and I recently discussed business leadership, how to immerse yourself into an organization and business, and Matt Damon’s Air movie about Nike and Michael Jordan. John knows a thing or two about leading a successful business. And about good movies! John was Procter […]